Fox populations near you

[Hoytvectrix]

Driving to the farms tonight I saw two different foxes and it got me thinking. We have not seen a single fox on a trail camera or in person on our farms in Northern MO in at least 8 years. We have quite a few coyotes but almost no one traps or predator hunts.

Is this typical? What are others seeing for foxes in the midwest?

 

[Turkey Creek]

I think Red Fox populations have been on a steady decline in the Midwest for the last couple of decades. There were still good Red Fox numbers in southeastern North Dakota when I first moved up there in 1997. Then mange came through and hammered them. I don't know if they ever rebounded. They are typically displaced by coyotes. High coyote numbers equate to low fox numbers.

 

[Foggy47]

I used to call foxes back in the 70's. Could almost guarantee a fox or two each day. Lots of fun for me. Hard to do that these days. Coyotes took over. I'd rather have foxes.

At one point a good fox hide was almost $100 IIRC.

 

[Jerry-B-WI]

My understanding is there's a pecking order. Coyotes don't tolerate foxes and run them off or kill them and wolves don't tolerate either coyotes or foxes.

 

[SwampCat]

Down south, we have a few grays - reds are almost gone here

 

[Native Hunter]

Both reds and greys are very scarce here, but I do occasionally catch them on trail cameras. Had a big one run across the road in front of me this spring. Coyotes and bobcats are plentiful.

 

[GMan5465]

Lots of greys for me, and coyotes, some wolves. Turf war would be nice. Found a dead feral or house cat this week…well half of one.

 

[KY wild]

This may just be a coincidence but we run trail cameras on about 6 farms, across two counties, the 2 farms that are more residential is where we get fox pics, I never get foxes in deep isolated places. When I was kid there was no coyotes in our area and I would see foxes with my naked eyes weekly, very few now days even on camera.

 

[Electrodigical]

Kind of hard to say, I regularly see a couple reds and grays on my cams, but pretty sure it's just the same four resident ones.

 

[Bill]

I had quite a few fox around when I bought the farm in 07. I can't remember the last time I've seen one. I attributed the decline to the increase in coyote numbers.

 

[Howboutthemdawgs]

This is an interesting observation. I can’t recall getting more than one or two on camera in the last couple years.

 

[b116757]

I agree foxes are more adapted to suburban areas and their populations are higher in these areas in my experience.

 

[Hoytvectrix]

I had quite a few fox around when I bought the farm in 07. I can't remember the last time I've seen one. I attributed the decline to the increase in coyote numbers.

The two I saw were actually somewhat close to your place. It has been YEARS since we have even caught one on cam.

 

[Ikeman]

This is the third time in a month that I have seen a fox in my work parking lot in Dallas. A few weeks ago, there was a pair out hunting bugs under the parking lot lights. This is 1 block from Dallas Love Field. I think they are flourishing because the coyote populations have been removed. I used to see coyotes here from time to time, but I haven’t even heard a coyote call in 5 years.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Electrodigical]

Think about it, there's a lot more food. I spend a week in the woods deer hunting, I might see a squirrel or two, might see none. At home I can walk outside and find a squirrel in about 30 seconds.

More birds, more rats, more kitten chow mein.

 

[jsasker007]

I usually see a fox or two during the winter when you can see them a lot better on the white background. There's a few different guys that hunt coyotes around me.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

See them on camera somewhat frequently in MN northwoods wolf country. Not as many further south where coyotes are more numerous.

 

[Kev]

Moved to mid-Missouri in December of '20. I see red fox here & there. Got a picture of a gray fox on my trail camera last fall.

 

[Teeder]

I used to see reds all the the time on my hunting property. So much so that we called it "Fox Ridge". Sightings dropped dramatically after the field was put into crops. Hardly ever see one now. Coincidence?

 

[Kev]

I used to see reds all the the time on my hunting property. So much so that we called it "Fox Ridge". Sightings dropped dramatically after the field was put into crops. Hardly ever see one now. Coincidence?

Habitat loss. Loss of mouse & rabbit habitat. Simple as that.